Chapter 10: The Fairies Triumph Again

Natsu and Happy could hardly believe their eyes at the sight of Freed torturing Fang to the point of rendering him unconscious, even though they had just claimed victory over him. In spite of their protests, Freed showed the Poison God Slayer no mercy with his Runes of Pain, Fear, Suffering, and the one that wasn't explicitly shown to them: Death.

"Whoa…," the Fire Dragon Slayer breathed. "I have never seen Freed this vengeful before."

"Me neither," Happy added. "After all, he was serious about avenging Ari."

Fang's body was lying lifelessly on the crash site, his eyes closed and showing little signs of breathing. It seemed like he was dead; however, he was merely unconscious as a result of being severely inflicted by Freed's runes.

"Freed… did you intentionally kill him with that move?" Natsu asked him.

"No," he answered Natsu, shaking his head. "Although this move likely causes death, I simply rendered him unconscious."

Happy trotted over to Fang's body and placed an ear onto his chest for any pulses or breathing. His ear could hardly pick up any heartbeats or breathing, even though both could be heard quietly.

"Hmmm… his heart is faintly beating, and his breathing is just as light," he observed. "So he isn't dead, after all."

"Hey, Freed," Natsu said to him. "What are ya gonna do with Fang's body? I don't think leaving him here would be a good idea."

"I'll have to bring him back to the guild hall," Freed answered him. "Once he regains consciousness, he will be taken into custody by the Magic Council's Rune Knights since he is the killer of the six female mages."

"Sounds good," Natsu said, as he and Freed approached Fang's body. "Let me help ya with him. He may be heavier than you think he is."

Both men worked together to hoist Fang up onto Freed's back, with the Poison God Slayer's arms and head draped over Freed's shoulders and his legs tucked underneath the green-haired's arms. Although it was like carrying bricks to him, Freed did his best to maintain his balance whilst holding onto Fang's body.

"You got him?" Natsu asked him.

"Yes," Freed answered, as he carefully started to walk. "Though I could use some additional support."

"Sure! Besides, we did make a great team defeating this jerk," the Fire Dragon Slayer beamed with a grin.

Natsu headed over to Freed and draped Fang's left arm onto his right shoulder to support Freed. The Runes Mage was thankful to have someone who would be able to help him when he needed it, and upon completing the mission, he would thank the Fire Dragon Slayer for it—even if he would be reprimanded by Laxus.

"Thank you, Natsu. Indeed, our alliance proved to be decent in spite of our contrasting abilities."

"No problem. Just don't tell Laxus that I followed him and you guys here."

Laxus…, Freed thought, thinking of his idol. He wondered how Laxus would react if he did tell him and the others about Natsu pursuing them and assisting him in the battle against Fang.


Back inside the guild hall, Laxus and Viper continued to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Though they were neck-in-neck physically, Laxus was already frustrated because he was struggling to hold him back. He could feel sweat running down his face, and the palms of his hands were starting to sweat as well.

Viper's physical power has increased due to his Crocodile Soul, he thought, gritting his teeth. I shouldn't have had underestimated him earlier!

He was soon swung away by Viper's tail, which sent him flying and crashing into the wall. Though he did manage to recover, he glared at Viper as he could hear the guild master chuckle deeply at him.

"Giving up?" he asked.

"Never!" Laxus protested, as he stood up from the ground.

He charged at Viper once more, though this time, sparks of lightning began to flow from his body as he emitted a valiant battle cry. His right fist was engulfed in lightning magic, and with a strong uppercut, he struck Viper underneath his chin.

"Lightning Dragon Iron Fist!"

Viper cried out in pain, as some of his saliva was emitted from his mouth. It was a powerful assault he had received from Laxus, and he was in disbelief that his opponent wasn't backing down.

I don't understand! My physical power had increased when I activated my Crocodile Soul, he thought with frustration. How is he still standing, even after having already used most of his power when he fought Brutus?!

Laxus struck his opponent's chiseled abdomen with his right leg, sending him crashing into the ground. Though Viper was able to stand up, he was shocked to see Laxus conjuring the trident of lightning, and he vigorously hurled it at him.

"Lightning Dragon Heavenward Halberd!"

As soon as the trident headed straight for Viper, he held out his right hand and grabbed hold of it, shocking the Lightning Dragon Slayer.

He intercepted my Heavenward Halberd! he thought, his eyes widening in alarm.

"You think you can eliminate me so easily?!" Viper snarled, as he hurled the trident right back at Laxus with a vigorous force. Laxus evaded his own attack just in time, as the trident struck the ground, creating an electrifying explosion.

That was a close call, Laxus thought, sighing in relief. But I'm gonna make him regret deflecting my attack right back at me!

Both mages exchanged physical blows for a short period of time; however, Laxus gave him a swift electrical punch in the abdomen, followed by a kick in the same location.

"Ggh…!" he grunted. "It can't be! I… I'll lose even with my Take-Over Power!?"

"You have a remarkable magic, but I still outrank you, Viper," Laxus said with a smirk.

Sparks of lightning began to flow through his arms again, as he was glaring darkly at the dark guild master. He was ready to carry out his coup de grace, eager to finish him off for good and complete the mission.

"And now, for the final blow… as punishment for harming Oak Town AND Fairy Tail!"

He brought his hands together once more as he swung them vigorously into Viper, slamming him into the ground.

"LIGHTNING DRAGON JAW!"

Viper screamed in agony as a result of the attack, signaling the fall of the dark guild's master. His body twitched as a result of the assault, as because it could not tolerate such power any longer and thus, he was unable to go on any further. Once he emitted one last groan of pain, Viper reverted to his normal form, having used up all of his magic power for his Crocodile Soul.

Laxus panted in exhaustion, having drained nearly all of his magic just to take down Viper. He rose his right fist upward in the air, as a declaration of himself being victorious in his final battle.

That's all I can do at this point…, he thought, as he collapsed onto his knees. But it was all worth it in the end. We've finally crushed Medusa's Gorgon!

Just then, Laxus' eyes widened in surprise when he heard a familiar voice call out to him:

"Boss!"

That sounded like Bickslow, as he and Evergreen had emerged from the corridor into an open doorway with a balcony that had a grand view from above.

"You've gotta come up here! We've finally found the merchandise they stole from Oak Town!"

"And thankfully, they didn't sell a single item to the black markets as they had planned!" Evergreen added.

"Excellent," he said to his two teammates, smiling. "I knew I could rely on you two to search for them. I've just crushed the master to a pulp, even though I wasted nearly all of my magic solely to finish him."

Evergreen emitted a delighted gasp in reaction, and both she and Bickslow high-fived one another to celebrate their boss's victory.

"Alright! Way to go!" Bickslow cheered.

"Way to go! Way to go!" his babies parroted, as they floated around him in excitement.

"I hope Freed is alright," Evergreen assumed. "He's taking a long time, battling Fang."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Laxus said to her. "Besides, he went after Fang to avenge Ari, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. We know that," Bickslow answered, nodding to his boss. "Now, let's get the stolen goods outta here and send them back to Oak Town!"

"We can't start without Freed," Evergreen reminded him, causing the Human Possession Mage to frown.

"Therefore, we wait until he returns," Laxus added.

Meanwhile, Natsu and Freed had finally approached the doors to the Medusa's Gorgon guild hall, carefully hoisting Fang's body. Happy was walking alongside them, his tail wagging back and forth slowly as he watched them pause at the doors.

"Alright, Freed. This is where you go on your own," Natsu said to him, as he carefully placed Fang's left arm onto Freed's left shoulder. "See ya back at Fairy Tail."

"I bid you farewell, until our return to the guild," Freed replied, in spite of feeling the heavy weight on his back once again.

Natsu glanced down at Happy, as he got into standby position and said to his best friend:

"C'mon, Happy. Back to Fairy Tail, and fast!"

"Aye, sir!"

Happy's white wings spread out from his back as his paws grasped onto the back of Natsu's vest, and soon the two took off into the sky like a rocket heading into outer space. A small smile formed on Freed's face, and he realized that he had friends waiting for him at the guild they all called home. At the same time, however, he knew that Natsu would be in trouble for following Laxus and the Thunder Legion without their authorization.

Although I do thank Natsu for the assistance, he should know better than to meddle in our business, he thought. I'll have to report him to Laxus, and I'll be pleased to see him chastise Natsu.

Laxus, Bickslow and Evergreen turned to see the door to the guild hall swing open, and Freed arrived inside with Fang still on his back, staring at them with confidence. Seeing Fang made Laxus smile proudly at Freed, and he was pleased that his most trusted comrade was able to complete his task.

"Well, speak of the devil," Evergreen said. "Perfect timing."

"Oi, Freed! You finally beat Fang to a pulp, huh? Wow, you sure roughed him!" Bickslow exclaimed.

"Roughed him! Roughed him!" his babies parroted.

Freed simply nodded to his comrades, and he carefully placed Fang's body next to Viper's. Father and son were back together again, albeit having both lost in their respective fights.

"F… Fang…," Viper said weakly, staring at his son. "My boy… having just fallen… to those Fairies… Medusa's Gorgon will now be… in disgrace… forever."

"You are indeed disgraceful," Freed stated to him coldly. "And your son brought harm to my beloved, Ariella Maxwell."

Viper said no further, as he was too wrapped up in despair of his guild now falling from grace. All of the years he had spent, running it with an iron fist as a males-only guild after his estranged wife's departure. As for Fang, he, too, would be in despair upon learning of his father's defeat and the potential disbandment of Medusa's Gorgon.

"I commend you for your victory over that bastard," Laxus said to him. "You taught him a lesson, to make him suffer for what he did to Ari."

"I did…," Freed replied with a nod. "…though I was saved by Natsu."

The other three Mages were left in states of shock, as they could hardly believe that they were being pursued by the obstinate pyromaniac. Their mission was none of his business, and yet he chose to sneak his nose into it!

"The Salamander?!" Laxus roared, a red vein popping up on his head. "He followed us without our permission?!"

"Oooh, he's in big trouble," Bickslow teased, sticking his tongue out.

"I think I know how to punish him," Evergreen crooned, holding up her fan with a deviously smug smirk on her face. "I'll give him a good whack from my fan!"

"No, Ever," Laxus said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll deal with him when we return to the Fairy Tail guild."

He then turned to Bickslow and said to him:

"Alright, Bickslow. Take us to where you found the goods."

"Right away!" he said to him, taking off first.

Soon after Evergreen followed Bickslow, Laxus and Freed headed into the open doors that led them to the corridors. They were soon gestured by Evergreen and Bickslow, who were telling them with their hands to follow them. Understanding their gesture, the two Mages headed toward two grand doors that had been opened up, and the moment they stepped inside, they were stunned to find all of the merchandise that were stolen from Oak Town's three stores!

"Well, what do ya know?" Laxus said, smiling proudly. "We've hit the jackpot."

"How did you find them?" Freed asked Bickslow.

"Well…," Bickslow started to explain. "Ever and I scavenged through nearly every door they had in the guild, and we were about to give up when we came across these two huge doors. We were curious about what would be behind them, and we opened them up to find all of the items that were pillaged from the stores!"

"If it weren't for us discovering these doors, we wouldn't have been able to discover all of the stolen goods," Evergreen added with a sigh. "It was so frustrating for us, and we were exhausting ourselves searching through nearly every single door with no luck!"

"But now, you found them and we commend you two for your success," Freed said, holding up some belts from Grier & Bosworth. Laxus was hoisting a box full of shoes from Zakuro Shoe Warehouse onto his back, heaving as he carefully carried them out of the room.

Evergreen held up the emerald statement necklace, its green stones shimmering luminously. She admired its luxurious beauty, and because emeralds were her favorite gems, she felt that it would be a must-have for her.

"You gotta pay for that, you know," Bickslow teased, causing the Fairy Mage to pout angrily at him.

At long last, Laxus and the Thunder Legion had finally recovered the stolen goods after triumphantly defeating Medusa's Gorgon. Now all they had to do was deliver the merchandise back to the stores in Oak Town and bring the dark guild to justice.

And as for Freed, he had high hopes that Ariella would be cured by the time he and his team would return…


Laxus and the Thunder Legion have succeeded their mission at long last! What will await them upon their return home? Find out in the final chapter!

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